


Pretend Boyfriend

by inabodycastofglass



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gonna be sad, M/M, Pretend to be dating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:30:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6635488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabodycastofglass/pseuds/inabodycastofglass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bianca tries to get Nico a date for Hazel's wedding. So Nico might have, accidentally, told her he was dating Will.</p><p>On indefinite hiatus.</p><p>Update: I might be shutting down my account.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Digging Yourself into a Hole.

**Author's Note:**

> A request by an anon on tumblr.
> 
> This is my second pretend to be dating fic for these two. I cannot promise it will be the last. I fucking love this overused trope.

“Bi, I don’t need another blind date. Please.”

“But this one’s great. You’ll love him.”

“No. No more dates. No more dinners, no more coffee, no more ‘perfect guys’. Just, please.”

“I know I’ve picked some duds. But this one’s different. Really.”

Nico groaned, falling face first into his pillow.

“Just until Hazel’s wedding. Then I won’t bother you anymore.”

He moaned.

“Please, Nico? Just one date with this guy.”

Nico sat up. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him so suddenly, but he stared at the wall, his eyes fixated on nothing, his mouth slowly falling open. “Actually, I got a date of my own.”

Bianca was silent, and Nico started to panic. She didn’t believe him. He was so bad at lying. Why did he do that?

“Really?”

“Yeah. This Friday, actually.”

“With whom?”

“Um, his name’s Will. We work together.”

“All right. That’s good.” It sounded more like a question than agreement. “Just, promise me, if it doesn’t go well, you’ll try my guy, all right?”

He sighed. “Yeah, all right.”

“Good. Now, I have to go. Danny’s freaking out about the food choices, and Penny wants to change the flowers.” She sighed. “Who knew planning a wedding was so hard?”

Nico laughed. “Everyone who’s ever been a bride.”

“Oh shut up. Okay. Have fun on your date. I love you. Bye.”

“I love you, too.”

He hung up, letting out a breath. Dodged that bullet. He laid back down and played his movie, putting his problem on hold for the time being.

 

Nico woke up to a text from Bianca on Saturday morning.

_ How was your date? _

He sat up, rubbing his eye with the heel of his palm.

_ What date? _

_ The one with Will? You did go right? _

A shock went through him, waking him up. He pulled his knees up, typing his reply as quick as he could.

_ Oh right. Just woke up. It went well. Great even. _

He worried after he’d sent it that it was too much.

_ That’s good. So you’re going to see him again? _

_ Yeah. No date yet. But I think so. _

_ Great. I can’t wait to meet him. _

_ Meet him? _

_ Yeah. I’m coming down tomorrow. Remember? The whole family is. _

He dropped his phone. Oh no. Oh no. This was bad. And he’d done it to himself this time.

Maybe Jason had an answer.

Jason’s answer was to come clean.

That was not going to happen. He was not going on another blind date. He would much rather embarrass himself by asking Will to be his pretend boyfriend.

So that was why he’d pulled him aside after the store closed and explained what happened.

Will stared at him for a long while, making Nico squirm.

“So, you want me to be your boyfriend?”

He didn’t sound please by that. “It wouldn’t be for real. Just until my family goes back home.”

“You said your sister’s wedding was in a month?”

“Yeah. In California. The rest of my family lives there.”

Will sighed, curling forward. “All right. I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend until after this is over.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

It was odd. This was exactly what he wanted, but it didn’t make him happy. A little relieved, yes. But mostly he just felt heavy.

“Will, do you like someone else?”

Will smiled. It was bland, not like him at all. “No.” He gripped the edge of the picnic table he was perched on. “I don’t have anyone else I like.”

That did make him feel better, though not by much. “Oh, good.”

“Yeah.”

“And, um, thanks. You’re really helping me out.”

He shrugged. “No problem, Neeks.”

“So, um.” Nico played with his cuff, looking down.

“Why me?”

“What?” He looked up, Will looking away when their eyes met.

“Why did you give her my name?”

“Oh.” He sat up a bit straighter. “I don’t know. You’re just the first person to come to my mind.”

“Oh.”

Nico couldn’t tell if Will was happy with that answer or not.

“Cool.”

Someone honked, and they both looked up to see Lou Ellen leaning out the driver’s side of a car.

“I have to go.” Will grabbed his bag.

He stopped after a few steps and turned to Nico with a resolute expression. “I’ll call you tomorrow. We’ll get lunch. You can introduce me to your sisters then, all right?”

“Sure. They’re getting here around eleven.”

“Right. It’s a date. Anyway.” He stalled, staring at Nico until Lou Ellen honked again, making him jump. “Right. Later. Tomorrow.” He pointed at Nico, walking backward.

“Yeah. All right.”

“Right.” He climbed into the car, watching Nico until it was out of sight.

Nico furrowed his brow. What was that about?


	2. Compatible?

Will met Nico at his apartment at ten-thirty the next morning, bright and grinning. “Good morning, boyfriend.”

Nico, who hadn’t bathed or put on pants yet, gave him a droll stare. “What are you doing?”

“Picking you up for lunch. I hope you’re not going like that. Not that I really mind, per sey. But it’s a little inappropriate, don’t you think?”

Nico rolled his eyes and went back inside, leaving the door open. He fell face first onto the couch.

“Aren’t you going to get ready? Lunch is in a half hour.” Will closed the door, looking around. “Your apartment’s a mess.”

Nico curled up on his side. “My family expects me to be late.”

“Okay. But I’d like to make a good impression if I can.” He nudged a shirt with his foot. “So we shouldn’t be even more late than we already will be.”

Nico groaned. “You’re so pushy. My dad will like you, Hazel will like you, Bianca will hate you. Nothing we do will change that.”

“What? Why?”

Nico shrugged. “Dad’ll like that you’re not the guy I used to like in high school. Hazel likes everyone I date at first, and you’re super nice. And Bi’s really protective. Always has been.” He sat up, looking at Will. “As long as you just act like yourself, you’ll be fine.”

Will began to grin. “Just be myself?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” He got back up and stretched himself out. “I’m going to shower. Make yourself at home.”

 

When he got out of the shower, his towel wrapped around his waist, he went directly to the living room to grab some cleanish clothes off the floor, and froze.

He hadn’t been in the shower very long, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, but all of his clothes were in the hamper by his door that usually housed his clean clothing until it was empty, his trash had been bagged, and his DVD’s and games had been sorted and put away. “I’ve been robbed.”

He went to the kitchen, where he heard running water to find Will doing his dishes.

“Hey.” He didn’t look up.

“What are you doing?”

“You said to make myself at home.”

“I didn’t mean to clean my apartment.”

“How am I supposed to relax in this mess?” He looked up at Nico, stalling, his eyes widening. He wore a slight blush, making Nico feel self conscious.

“How can anyone life in a mess like this?” His voice was thick. He motioned to the entirety of Nico’s small kitchen.

Nico crossed his arms. “It’s not that bad.”

“Really? How long has that stuff been stuck to your stove?”

He shrugged.

“That’s disgusting.”

The door opened and they both looked up, though they couldn’t see who it was.

“Oh my god. You’ve been robbed.”

Nico sighed. “In here.”

Jason peaked around the corner with his head, his body following. “Oh.” He smile disappeared as he looked between Nico and Will, and then came back wider when he saw Nico’s current state. “Hello.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m getting dressed."

He went to his room and donned a pair of ripped jeans with doodles all over them, and a plain black shirt. Good enough.

Will looked him over. “Really?”

“Yep.”

He shook his head. “It’s already almost eleven. We should go.”

Jason looked to Will, trying pathetically to hide his grin. “Will’s going to meet your family with you?”

Nico glared at him. “Yes, he is.”

“Awesome.” He put a hand on Will’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

“What?” Will looked to Nico, a bit pale.

“Jason, get out.”

Jason put a hand to his chest. “What?”

“Leave.”

“But why?”

Nico grit his teeth. “Get out.”

Jason’s fasad broke, and he let out a “snerk”. “Aw, don’t be like that Neeks.”

“Go.”

He shrugged. “Nice seeing you again, Will. Have fun on your date.” He gave Nico a wave, wiggling his fingers at him.

Will watched him leave the room, staring at the doorway until they heard the door close, then turned back to Nico. “Why was he wishing me good luck?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Bi and Jason don’t get along.” He went to the bathroom to brush his hair. “He’s just glad he doesn’t have to go anymore.”

“Ah. So I shouldn’t be worried?”

"Well, I mean, Bi’s not gonna like you. And, by the time she’d come around, this whole thing will be over. So it doesn’t really matter.”

“Right.” Will dried his hands on a towel Nico kept on top of the microwave. “That’s good.” He tossed it in with Nico’s other dirty clothes. “We should go.”

Nico didn’t bother trying to help Will feel more at ease. He’d learn after today. He just grabbed his jacket and followed his “boyfriend” out.


	3. Lunch date.

It was almost endearing how nervous Will was around Nico’s sisters.

He brought flowers for both of them. Hazel accepted hers like it was completely normal. Bianca, however, looked at it like it might be filled with spiders.

“So you’re Will?”

“Yes.” He was pale.

Bianca hummed. “How long have you known my brother?”

Nico sighed. “Bi.”

“I’m just asking, Nico.”

“You’re interrogating him.”

“I am not. I just want to get to know the man going with you to Hazel’s wedding.”

“Will works at the cafe at the bookstore I work at. We met about a year ago. We’ve had one date. Better?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re awfully cheeky.”

He smiled back. “Yeah, I am.”

She pushed his head to the side, snorting.

“So, Will.” Hazel scooted her chair closer to him. “Are you in school?”

“What? Um, yes.” Will put his hands awkwardly in his laps. “I’m a med student.”

Bianca nodded slowly, pleased by this information.

Lunch went much smoother thanks to Hazel’s interference. The conversation was still rough in places, but everyone relaxed a little, and Bianca even laughed at something WIll said. It was a little odd, the sense of peace this gave him. Maybe he was more anxious about this than he’d realised.

Bianca leant into him when Hazel and Will went to the counter to get refills on their drinks, her arm touching his. “I’m relieved. I was worried you’d found another Percy. Some guy with a hero complex who doesn’t really like you as much as he should.”

“Okay, wow.”

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that you tend to go for unavailable guys.”

“Does this mean you approve of Will?”

Bianca’s expression made it clear that she wasn’t fooled by his attempt at a change of subject. But she humoured him, for now. “I didn’t say that. I still don’t really know him, or his intentions with my baby bro.”

“Bi!”

She laughed at his blush. “All right. Finally a response. You’ve been so casual it was like this thing didn’t affect you at all.”

He shrugged, looking away from her. “It’s still too new. Maybe after we’ve spent some time together.”

Bianca watched him for a moment, but he was spared her thoughts when Hazel and Will returned.

“Will got a girls number.”

Will looked offended at Hazel’s tattling.

“Oh? Was she cute?”

He blushed. “I’m not going to call her.”

“Why not?” Nico accepted the coffee Will handed him. “We’re not exclusive.”

Will sat back in his chair. “I don’t really do casual dating. One’s enough for me.”

Nico put the cup to his lips, taking a sip, using it to hid the little smile that forced itself to his face.

Bianca was the only one who could see, and she made him fully aware that she could, with the way that she grinned at him and nudged him with her shoulder.

He cleared his throat. “Hazel. Has Frank found his suit yet?”

No one was fooled by his change of subject. He needed to get better at those.


	4. The Secret Life of Nico di Angelo

“That went well.” Will looked over at Nico, pale and sweating. “That went well, right?”

Nico shrugged. “Better than I expected it to.”

Will smiled, a little colour returning to his face. “Good.” He gave a sigh Nico could barely hear, looking forward.

Nico’s lips curled up in the corner. There was something about Will that was almost cute.

He checked the time on his phone. “Hey, I’ll catch you later. There’s somewhere I wanna stop before work.”

Will turned slightly toward him. “I’ll go with you.”

Nico looked at him for a moment, contemplating the offer. “Sure. But you’ll be bored.”

Will’s posture improved and his casual smile turned into one of excitement. “That’s okay. My other option is helping Lou cram for the test she’s been procrastinating on.”

Nico mostly listened to Will talk as they went in the direction of Nico’s little hole in the wall game shop. Occasionally he added to the conversation, but mostly he listened.

“I don’t know this place was here.”

Nico smirked, feeling a bit of pride is his knowledge of underground geek shops.

Okay, so Jason was right. He was a little bit of a hipster. But he was not going to grow a beard.

“That’s because you like mainstream geeky stuff, like Star Trek and Doctor Who.”

Will glared, but there was no bite to it. “Those are good shows.”

“Never said they weren’t. But you can find their merch anywhere. You don’t have to search for it.”

“Hey, Nico.”

He nodded to the employee who greeted him and followed him to the counter. He felt a little guilty for not remembering his name, but it didn’t really matter in the long run.

“You’re special order came in.” He pulled the deck of cards from the shelf.

Nico’s pulse picked up when he saw them, and he broke out in a grin. He wanted to make grabby hands and bounce up and down, but he wasn’t a kid anymore. He had some self restraint.

Will watched him open it up and shuffle through them. “Are those Mythomagic cards?”

Nico hummed. He usually would have elaborated, but he was intently searching for a particular card, his expression almost angry with concentration.

“Yes.” He held the card up to the light, twisting it so the foil shimmered.

“Pluto? I thought these cards were suppose to be Greek.”

“They are. But they’ve been releasing Roman packs in Europe for the hundred year anniversary. I had to get it imported.” He swiped his card.

“Did you seriously just spend a-hundred-twenty dollars on trading cards.”

“Imported from Europe. Hundred year anniversary.”

Will put a hand on his forehead, pushing his bangs up. “That’s crazy. I can’t imagine spending that much money on anything.”

“That’s because you don’t have that kind of money. You’re a med student.”

“Oh, right. I almost managed to forget for a few brief, wonderful seconds.”

Nico snorted. “Let’s go. I have to get to work.”

“Sure.” WIll followed him out. “So what other places like this do you know?”

“What, hoping to stalk me or something?”

Will blushed. “No. I was just hoping to get to know you a bit better.” He shifted his hands into his pockets. “This is the first time we’ve hung out outside of work.”

Nico smiled, looking down, tucking his chein into his chest. “Let’s take this one step at a time. If things go well, I’ll show you. Cool?”

“Yeah.” Will’s arm brushed his, and he moved away slightly. “So what’s the deal with this game? I never understood it.”

Nico got so into talking about it that WIll wound up following him around the bookstore so he could keep listening. He realised he was already an hour into his his shift when their manager shot him a look.

After Will left, Nico paused at the warm, butterfly feeling in his stomach. It had been a long time since he’d felt that way. He closed his eyes, feeling it for a moment, examining it.

He couldn’t like Will Solace. Could he?


	5. No?

Nico decided he didn’t like Will. He was attracted to the attention he was receiving, not the person giving it. Which he should probably put a stop to right away. He didn’t need to grow attached to Will.

That being said, Bianca wanted to have another group outing with him. This time she wanted to go hiking; which, in Bianca speak, meant closer to mountain climbing.

“How much free time do you think Will has? He’s a working med student.”

“It’s one afternoon.”

“We’ll be up before dawn, and probably not back until after dark.”

“What’s the harm in asking?”

“What makes you think he’ll even be up for one of your hikes. He’s so thin.”

“Nicolo, are you trying to keep me from spending time with your boyfriend-”

Nico’s face went red. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Whatever you call him.”

“I don’t call him anything.”

“Nico.”

He looked away, biting the inside of his lips.

“What are you afraid of? That he’ll say no?”

“No.”

Bianca gave him a smile and put her arm around his shoulder. “A no doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. It just means he can’t do it.”

“Or he’s scared of you.”

She made an offended noise with the back of her mouth. “I am not that scary.”

“Bi, you are easily the most terrifying person I have ever met.”

“Only when it comes to you.” She reached up and ruffled his hair.

“Well, considering that’s all I see, and this has everything to do with me, I think it’s safe to say that he’s probably pretty freaked out. Especially since we’re not technically dating.”

“Uh-huh. Well, let me know when you are ‘technically dating’ so I can celebrate your first ever real relationship by telling him that if he hurts you, I’ll shove an arrow up his ass.”

“Yeah, okay. That’s incentive.”

“And ask him about Wednesday, or I will.”

The threat had its intended effect. He called Will as soon as he got home.


	6. Shorts.

When Will showed up at Nico’s apartment at five o’clock Wednesday morning, he almost snorted from holding back his laughter.

Nico furrowed his brows. “What?”

“Are you,” he choked back a giggle. “Are you wearing that?”

Nico looked down at his clothes, holding his arms out to the sides. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Well, first of all, you’re wearing pants.”

“So?”

“We’re going hiking.”

“It’s cold out.”

“It’s October. You’re gonna get heat stroke.”

“I don’t own any shorts.”

“None?”

He shook his head.

Will put a hand on the wall to steady himself, his entire body shaking.

“Stop it.”

Will’s eyes watered.

“Stop.”

“Stop what?” His voice cracked.

“Thinking…” He made vague waving motions. “Whatever you’re thinking.”

Will’s eyes traveled over his body, his face growing more and more red. He bit his lips together. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.?

Nico glared at him. “I mean it, Will.”

He nodded, swallowing. “Right. Serious face.” He took a breath, standing up straight. “So, uh, what about the shirt.”

Nico blushed.

Will doubled over in his laughing fit.

“Stop laughing.”

“You don’t own anything but torn up jeans and black t-shirts? Seriously?”

“That’s it. I’m not going.”

Will grabbed his wrist as he turned away. “No, stop. I just-” He let out another giggle and cleared his throat. “What do you work out in?”

Nico looked down.

“Oh my god.”

He tried to pull back.

“You exercise in jeans?”

He yanked on his hand, trying to free himself so he could lock himself in his room for the rest of the day.

“Wait, no.” Will pulled him closer, and Nico was surprised at how strong he was. He’d actually been trying to get away. “We just need to get you some new clothes so you don’t actually die half-way up the mountain.”

Nico set his jaw. “Can’t you just fix me? You are going to become a doctor.”

Will grinned at him. “Not unless you want me to carry an IV around with me. Also, I hope you’re not wearing My Little Pony boxers, ‘cause your pants would have to go.”

Nico stared at him, gaping, leaning away.

Will’s grin broadened. “Come on, I have an idea.”

He pulled Nico into his room, opening his drawers until he realised they were all filled with notebooks, random junk, and trash. “This is disgusting.”

Nico shrugged.

He picked up a pair of pants that were almost shredded to tatters. “Are you attached to these pants?”

“Not particularly. Why?”

Will stuck his fingers in one of the holds and tore the leg off, just above the knee.

Nico made a strangled noise in his throat. “What are you doing?”

Will tore the other leg off and handed them to Nico. “There. Shorts.”

Nico took them, still staring at Will.

“I’ll let you get changed.” He left, closing the door behind him.

Nico looked down at his pants, wondering just what he’d got himself into, and trying to stop himself from smiling.


	7. Mountain climbing

Bianca was not as kind as Will was. She didn’t even bother trying to hide her amusement. “I haven’t seen you in shorts since you were ten.”

“I will turn around and go home.”

“Cut-off jean shorts? Really?”

Nico just pointed at Will, his jaw jut out, scowling.

Bianca held her hand out for a high five, to which Will obliged.

Nico turned to leave, but both of them reached out to stop him, Will’s hand on the inside of his elbow, Bianca yanking on his backpack. He nearly fell on his bum, but Will caught him with an arm around his waist.

“You are far too sensitive, boyfriend.”

His eyes were drawn immediately to Bianca’s, overly aware of the way her lips pulled up in one corner. He pushed himself free of Will’s grasp. “Let’s just get this over with already.”

“Don’t overwork yourself right off, or you won’t be able to finish.”

“Shut up. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what I’m doing.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He shot her a glare, but she only rolled her eyes.

She turned around, walking backwards so she could face Will. “He’s always been this dramatic, even as a kid.”

“Oh my god, will you stop?”

“Nope.” She popped her “P” and stuck her tongue out at him.

He groaned and pressed on.

It took almost four hours to reach the top of the mountain, but, as he looked down at the long stretch of woods and the dirt road that went on for miles, he had a weird sense of pride in himself. He did it.

And he was impressed with Will, as well. He’d had to help pull him up some of the harsher ledges, but he hadn’t muttered a word of complaint (unlike Nico, who swore every time he struggled with something or tripped).

Will sat next to him, his legs dangling over the edge. “How does your sister still have so much energy?”

“She’s an archaeologist. She spends her life excavating ancient ruins, temples, and caves looking for religious artefacts.”

“Oh? How long does that take?”

“About six years on average. She finished last year. She’s doing her internship now, for Artemis Excavations.”

Will laughing.

“What is it?”

“That’s my aunt’s company.”

“Your aunt owns Artemis Excavations?”

“Yeah. Aunt Artemis.”

“You’re shitting me.”

“Nope. I’ve never met her, but she’s my dad’s twin.”

Nico looked back to Bianca, who’d stripped down to her underwear for a dip in the lake, which had to be freezing. And she worried about him doing something dangerous.

“Wow." Nico leant back on his hands. "What are the chances?”

“Beats me. Chances don’t mean much to me.”

“You’re a doctor.”

“I just started med school. I still have time to become a responsible adult.”

“Yeah, okay.” He took a drink from his water bottle and passed it to Will. “I think she likes you.”

Will grinned as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That’s good. Her opinion seems to really matter to you.”

“Yeah, well, she did practically raise me.”

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged, not feeling the ease he gave off at all. His mouth felt very dry again. He held his hand out for the water bottle.

As he screwed the cap back on very slowly after a drink, he stared out at the view, not really seeing any of it. “My mum died when I was nine and Bi was twelve. Dad wasn’t really around, so he sent us to boarding school. For five years it was just us.”

Will was quiet for a while, and Nico refused to look at him. He didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes.

“Great, so I have to impress a mother as well as a scary big sister? Could have worned me about that, Nico.”

He laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you like it.”

“Do I? Do I really?”

“I hope so. I climbed a mountain for you.”

“Yeah, well, the physical one will be much easier than the metaphorical. I hope you’re prepared.”

“As long as you help me over the edges of that one, too.” He nudged Nico’s shoulder with his own.

“Wow. Do you use that line on all the guys?”

“Only the one’s I really like.”

Will was still leaning into Nico when Bianca came back to the shore.

“Are you two lovebirds ready to go?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Let me just take a picture while you put some clothes on.”

She grinned. “Yeah, it’s a nice view.” She was staring at Will.

“Oh my god. Go get dressed.”

She cackled as she went to their little pile of backpacks and clothes.

Will turned back to Nico. “She’s very forward.”

“She calls it payback for years of having to put up with my endless chatter.”

He laughed. ”Well, you take your picture, you little hipster. I’m going to put on some sunscreen. And so should you.”

“Yeah, yeah, dad. And don’t call me a hipster.”

He watched Will head over to join Bianca by their stuff, his clothes still clinging to his skin with half dry sweat, his lythe form clearly visible from every angle. He had to agree with Bianca. Will was very attractive.

He turned away from them to take his picture.


	8. Olive Garden

**Are you free tonight?**

The return text came within seconds.

**Yeah. What’s up?**

**Its Bis and Hazels last day in town. Were getting dinner. They invited you along.**

**What should I wear?**

**Clothes. Preferably a shirt AND pants.**

**Not what I meant.**

**I know dorcus. It’s just olive garden. Wear your normal clothes.**

**What time?**

**Seven.**

**…**

**What?**

**Its 6:30!**

**Not enough advanced notice?**

**I can make it. Just give me at least an hour next time?**

**Okay.**

Will still got there before him.

Nico showed up fifteen minutes late, after everyone else had already received their drinks.

Will sat up straight, his hands on his lap, staring directly at Hazel as she told some story or another.

“Dad’s here?”

“Good to see you, too, Nico.”

He put his coat on the back of his chair. “Hi.” He nodded to Will, who looked so relieved to see him, Nico thought he might cry.

Hazel pushed a Sprite toward him and he smiled at her.

“Hazel’s been telling us a lovely story about looking for her wedding dress.” Their dad turned back to her. “Please continue.”

Nico smiled into his cup, his straw discarded. She’d called to tell him the story right after it happened, laughing too hard to get the details out the first time. Apparently Frank had showed up and saw her in the dress, and Penny and Danny lost their minds and literally shoved him out of the shop, and broke a two-hundred dollar bowl holding fake fruit and flowers.

In the end she got the dress just because she couldn’t look at it without smiling, much to the other women’s horror. Of course, she’d left this part out in the retelling, but Nico would fill Will in about it later.

Things were smooth during dinner, almost pleasant. True to Nico’s word, his father was fond of Will, as was Hazel. Though, admittedly, he didn’t speak to much. Hazel carried the conversation as she usually did.

Will carried Nico’s leftovers for him through the parking lot. When they got into Will’s car, he let out a breath, running his hand through his hair.

“You’re way too tense.”

“Hey, I just met your dad.” He started up the car. “Give me a break.”

He was a bit absent as they pulled out and made their way to Nico’s apartment. “I’ve never met a boyfriend’s parents before even going out on an actual date.”

Nico chuckled through his nose. “At least you’ve been on actual dates.”

“But you said you’ve been going on a bunch of blind dates lately.”

“I really don’t think getting stuck at a cheap cafe with a boring guy I don’t know and sneaking out the bathroom window counts as a date.”

Will gasped. “You snuck out the window on them. That’s horrible.”

“Don’t judge me. Those guys Bianca chose for me were awful.”

Will laughed. “You could have just let them know you weren’t interested. You didn’t have to ditch them.”

“I could have. Or I could have avoided a possibly violent situation with a guy eight or more inches taller than me who thinks it’s okay to swing because I’m also a man.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

There was a stretch of silence between them where Nico regretted saying anything, but… He just didn’t want Will thinking bad of him.

“Let’s go on a date.”

Nico turned away from his window to look at him, his head still resting on his fist. “What?”

Will shrugged, his ears red. “Yeah. If we’re gonna play the part, we might as well have some of the fun. Let’s see a movie. We’ll share a popcorn. I could pretend to yawn and put my arm around your shoulder, we could accidentally touch hands when we reach for popcorn. It’ll be great.”

Nico couldn’t help but grin at the cheesiness of it. It sounded so romcom. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

“Really.” Will grinned, flicking his eyes over to Nico before turning back to the road.

“Yeah. But I’m holding you to all that cliched stuff. You promised.”

Will ran a finger in an X over his heart. “How does now work? A new superhero movie came out last week.”

Nico shrugged. “Sure. I’ve got no other plans.”

“Great.” Will grabbed Nico’s hand, making him jump. He lifted it up, drawing even more attention to it. “This is step one.”

Nico’s stomach did a ridiculous flip that was entirely uncalled for, just because Will was showing him a little bit of attention.

He didn’t like Will.


	9. First Date

Will followed through with his promise of the most cliched date possible. He opened the door for Nico, paid for his ticket, bought a large popcorn, a single drink, carried it into the theatre. When the movie started, he made a big show of yawning to slide his arm around Nico’s shoulder, making him laugh.

Maybe it was all too much, though, because when their hands met in the popcorn bucket, Nico’s heart skipped.

He’d been sucked into the romance of it all. They were all scenarios he’d thought about as a closeted teenager, with someone else - sometimes a stranger, but usually Percy - making all the moves so he could be certain it was something he wanted, too. But this wasn’t real, no more than those stupid fantasies.

When Will leant down to whisper a comment on the movie Nico was barely following in his ear, he shivered. This was a closeness he’d never shared with anyone before, and he was second guessing if it was a good idea to experience it with a fake relationship. He didn’t need to get attached to something fake.

He took a shuddering breath when Will’s pinkie linked with his. His chest felt hot. He swallowed.

Oh no.

When the movie ended the two of them filed out with the crowd, Will talking about the movie. Nico, however, was in a daze and could barely focus enough to respond, especially after Will took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Nico looked up at him. “Yeah. Just tired. I had to get up early, and I closed last night.”

Will’s hand tightened on his, and Nico looked away, his neck and chest red. “Was the date bad?”

His voice was quiet, almost dejected, and Nico felt the urge to jump to his defense.

“No. It was great. I had a lot of fun.”

“Good.” Will’s hand squeezed Nico’s again as they got into the car.

Nico continued to listen to him talk, slowly beginning to focus more on the sound of Will’s voice than what he was saying. Something about effects.

A heavy fog filled his stomach as they reached his apartment building. He didn’t want the night to be over.

Will walked him to the door. “Today was fun.”

Nico nodded.

“Can I take you out again?” He gave him a wry smirk.

Nico rolled his eyes, though he felt a bit light headed at the concept. “Yeah. I’ll text you.”

“Great.”

There was a pause where Will just looked at him for a few seconds, and Nico got the impossible image of Will kissing him.

He wanted him to.

“Good night, Nico.”

Will walked off, making him feel more disappointed than he thought he could be after some stupid play date.

He rushed inside and leant against a hallway wall, catching his breath.

Shit.


	10. What If?

“This isn’t funny, Jason.

Jason put his head on his arms, his shoulders shaking, giggles slipping through. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

Nico leant back in his chair, chewing on his straw. “I regret telling you.”

Jason sat up, leaning forward on the table. “I’m good.” He took a deep breath. “I’m okay.”

Nico glared at him, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. “Are you ready to take my problem seriously now?”

He wiped his eye, taking another breath. “Neeks, I hardly think liking your pretend boyfriend is really an issue.”

“I do not like him.”

“Right. Sorry. You just like the way he treats you, and how he talks to you, and how he acts, and you think he’s funny and cute and smells good-”

“I never said he smells good.”

“But he does. ”

Nico turned away from him, sinking further down in his chair.

“Dude, it’s fine to like Will.”

“I do not want to get stuck in another one sided crush.”

“Maybe it won’t be.”

“It will.”

“But maybe it won’t.” Jason leaned into him. “The guy obviously likes you enough to face Bianca for you, and he took you on a cheesy romantic first date. I’m just saying that maybe he could like you.”

Nico’s heart fluttered in his throat. “He won’t.”

“He’s not Percy.”

Nico’s face went blank. His chest burned, his arms growing heavy.

“Nico, don’t shut me out. Please.”

He forced himself to look at Jason, his movements stiff.

“Will isn’t Percy. First of all he’s not straight. Second, he’s not already into someone else. Those are two very big factors.” He reached out and put a hand on Nico’s knee. “The Percy thing was never going to happen, but that has nothing to do with you.”

Nico clenched his jaw, looking down. “Maybe…” He closed his mouth.

“Maybe what?”

Nico swallowed. “Maybe, if I came before Annabeth, he could have…” Even as he said it, he knew it wasn’t true. Just like the countless times he’d thought about it over the years. Percy would never have loved him, and it had nothing to do with them both being men, and everything to do with Nico being Nico.

Jason shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t think so.”

Nico closed his eyes tight.

“Should I be jealous?” Piper smiled down at them, putting her bag on the ground next to her chair.

“Hey, Pipes.”

She and Jason didn’t kiss. They never did when Nico was obviously upset, determined not to rub their happiness in his face.

“Nico needs a love pep-talk.”

He glared at Jason.

Piper gave him a soft smile as she sat down. “What’s wrong?”

When Nico refused to answer, Jason sighed. “He thinks he’s unlikable.”

He fidgeted under Nico’s glare.

“What?” She looked to Jason, then directed her attention back to Nico, leaning into him. “Why not?”

He bit his cheek, hard. Piper had a way about her that invited people to open up. But he was not going to do it.

“Nico, you know there are people who truly care about you. And, if they do, why wouldn’t someone be able to like you romantically?”

“It’s not the same thing.” He clenched his jaw, glaring at the table.

“It’s not, but it does come from the same place. People fall in love for the same reasons they love their friends. Because they’re nice, and they’re fun, and they make them feel good about themselves. And you’re no different.” She kissed his cheek. “I promise.”

He opened his mouth, but then closed it again with a sigh and a grimace.

“What is it?”

Nico felt like he had a giant ball of lead in his throat. “How do you know? What if…”

“Go on.”

He took a breath. “What if I’m just too messed up?”

Piper scooted her chair closer to him. “We’re all messed up. We’ve all got problems and baggage. And, yeah, there are always gonna be people who will pass you over for it, but that’s their problem.” She put an arm around his shoulder. “The trick to love is finding the person who’s crazy matches yours.”

Nico didn’t want to admit that he felt better. It was all stuff he’d heard before, but Piper had a way of making these sorts of things sound reasonable and believable.

He just nodded.

“Hey, Nico.” Jason fidgeted with his napkin, twisting and tearing it. “Don’t get mad at me for saying this, but maybe you should give things a shot with Will. Like, really try. Things right now might not be much, but I really do think you two could be something great.”

Nico’s mouth fell open. He tried to brush the comment off or get angry and yell. Instead he just thought, “what if I did?”


	11. I'll Text You

It took three days for Nico to text Will. He felt almost uncharacteristically self conscious. Usually he let people think and feel what they wanted. It wasn’t like he could change their minds, no matter how hard he tried. But they weren’t really dating. It was just a game. It didn’t mean anything. What would Will think if he found out how Nico was feeling?

He didn’t have to. Nico could forget this whole thing before it became anything serious.

He was glad he hadn’t seen Will since their “date”. He wasn’t sure how he would react without properly preparing himself first.

He’d purposely texted Will while he was at work so he wouldn’t get an answer right away, and so he could pace around his living room and panic without being interrupted by his phone going off. But after checking it every minute or so for an hour, his heart going ballistic, he was wishing he’d just texted him before he clocked in.

He curled up around his phone, clutching it in his hands so tightly his knuckles hurt. His TV was on for noise. It took him ten minutes to pick out the show, but he forgot what it was immediately.

After two hours of agonizing panic where Nico went through every possible way Will could tell him how much he hated him, his phone finally vibrated, and Will’s name popped up.

He sat up, staring at it with bulging eyes. Hic chest had swollen and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

**I get out at five. What were you thinking? Dinner? A movie?**

It took him forever to respond, his hands shaking. He kept pressing the wrong buttons.

**I was thinking we could hang out here tonight.**

He read it over and over, wondering if it sounded casual enough. Was it too cold? Did it sound like a come on? Would Will get weirded out?

He held his breath as he sent it, taking the plunge before he could over think it even more. If he waited too long, it would only be weirder.

**Sure. Want me to pick up a pizza?**

**Sure.**

He buried his face in his pillow, groaning as loud as he could with his shaking voice. He had two hours to prepare himself. He could do this.


	12. Real(?) Date

As it turned out, two hours wasn’t enough time. Nico didn’t have the problem of not knowing what to wear, though the question of regular clothes vs pajamas came to mind. And he had Netflix and Hulu, so there was no struggling to think of a movie. And Will was bringing home pizza, so food was taken care of.

What took preparation was how red he became whenever he thought about Will being in his apartment. Which was ridiculous, he’d been over before, seen Nico in his towel, and it was fine. But a single tiny little maybe crush and his face was a deep, obvious red that even Percy would pick up on.

He jumped when there was a knock on his door, his heart in his throat. He slipped into the bathroom to check his teeth and hair before taking a deep breath that didn’t help at all.

He opened the door and nearly stumbled backwards with how hard his heart beat at the sight of Will, looking far too casual.

“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure if I should wear pajamas or not. I’m glad I didn’t.” He walked in and put the pizza on the coffee table. “So, I gotta know, is this a date? Because, if it is, I think we’re required to watch a romance. Or a horror if I intend to put the moves on you.”

Nico went to respond, but his mouth was dry. He squeaked, and shut his mouth tight.

“Hey, are you okay?” Will leant toward him. “You don’t look so hot. Are you sick?” He put his wrist to Nico’s forehead. “You’re really warm.”

Nico smacked his hand away. "I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “Let’s just watch the movie. What do you want to watch?”

He sat down on the couch, Will falling in beside him. It was small enough that the two had to sit next to each other, even if Will had wanted some space between them. It was never something Nico had thought about before. There was never more than two people in his apartment at once. And it had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of heat with Percy.

“Fine, but I’m going to make you drink lots of water, just in case.” His feet brushed Nico’s. “Let’s watch something romantic. I’m in a date mood.”

Nico had been half hoping he would suggest something casual, something that would take the pressure off. But it fell away when his heart sped up at the word “date” coming from Will’s lips. “All right.” He picked up the controller. “I think Jason has some he’s watched with Piper on his account we can look at.”

“You have access to Jason’s account?”

“Yeah. We share all our accounts. It saves money.”

He flipped through Jason’s history and found they’d been on a period drama binge recently, which could have been either of them, honestly.

“Oh, stop. Go back.”

“Stardust? Really?”

“Hey. It’s fantastic.”

Nico smirked. “Yeah, okay.”

They watched the first hour in relative silence, and Nico had to admit it was really good. He was completely enraptured by it until Will’s foot began to idly brush against his, making Nico’s breath catch.

It was a habit. Jason sometimes did the same thing. But with Jason, Nico could just kick him to make him stop. With Will, he didn’t know if he wanted to. He should. He didn’t know how he felt yet. But he sat still, pretending to be too enraptured with the movie to notice. He would stop soon.

Except he didn’t. The movie was almost over before Nico managed to swallow the thick lump in his throat and return the motion.

Will jumped, and Nico pulled his knees to his chest, as far away from Will as he could get, his ears ringing. He shouldn’t have done that. He shouldn’t have invited Will over. This was stupid. He was so stupid.

Will started to laugh, his ears red. “Sorry. I have a habit of wiggling my feet during romantic scenes.”

Oh god. That just made it worse.

“Sometimes Cecil does it back, then he freaks out, so I kinda expected that to happen for a moment. Sorry for scaring you.”

Oh. Okay. That was better. Maybe.

Nico felt stupid for getting his hopes up.

“Whatever.” He grabbed a piece of cold pizza. He hadn’t touched it yet, and he’d seen Will looking at him earlier in the movie, and he didn’t want to get into some kind of argument.

“So when’s your sister’s wedding? Are you gonna be in it?”

Nico snorted into his pizza. “It’s in about three weeks, on a Friday.”

“Okay, why did you laugh?”

Nico put the slice back in the box. “Because I’m the flower boy.”

Will looked like he might laugh. “Aren’t you a bit, um, old?”

He shrugged. “It was a bet like, six years ago.”

“And she held to it?”

“We’re a very serious family.”

“Did you write it down somewhere in order to remember it this long?”

“No. I just like to remind Frank of it every once and a while, and watch him get all flustered. It’s funny. You’ll see when he gets here.”

The tense atmosphere had dissipated after that, back to the relative ease of the first time they went to Nico’s comic shop. Except now there was an uncomfortable heat at the back of his neck, and into his ears.

Will stood up and stretched out after their third consecutive movie. “I should head home. It’s already after midnight.”

Nico looked to the clock. “You could stay here tonight. We both work tomorrow. It’ll be more convenient.”

Will paused, and the implications of what Nico had just said hit him. For a moment he couldn’t breathe.

Will looked around. “I don’t think you have enough room for me.”

Nico told himself to drop it and let Will go home. But he hadn’t said no. “It’s fine. I have a queen size.” For a moment he thought he’d gag from embarrassment.

Will smirked. “On the second date? How forward, Nico.”

He rolled his eyes, getting up to put the pizza in the fridge. “Whatever. You’re welcome to go home. I was just offering.”

“No, I’ll stay. Your house is a lot closer to work than mine.”

He followed Nico into his room, staring at the bed covered in clothes and books. “Okay, how are you still alive?”

“Hey, my life is perfectly normal.” He shoved the things from the bed onto the floor, keeping his back to Will as he tried to even out his breathing. He thought he might hyperventilate and pass out. Maybe Will would believe he was just over-tired and that was why he was so red.

“You’re a slob.”

“You’re still welcome to leave.” His voice was tense.

“And you take criticism like a child.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m gonna take a shower, all right?” Will waited for a response before heading to the bathroom.

Nico forced himself to act casual until he heard the shower turn on. Then he fell face first onto his bed before groaning into the mattress and curling into a ball, his bum in the air. This was the worst decision of his entire life. And he would defend that statement forever. Nothing good could come of this.

“Hey, Nico?”

He jumped, falling to his floor. “What?” He pulled himself to his feet. “What is it?”

“I kind of forgot to ask where your towels are.”

“Oh. Okay. One sec.”

He grabbed Will a clean towel and a pair of pajama pants and knocked on the bathroom door.

“Thanks.” Will peaked his head out and accepted the items, and hitting Nico with a cloud of steam. “I’m so used to only using the shower at my place, I didn’t even think about it.”

“It’s fine.” He went back to his room, his breath short. He had to move, so he stripped his bedding and changed it.

Will came in a few minutes later, shirtless, drying his hair. “Where did you get pants for me?”

“They’re Jason’s. I wasn’t sure if they’d fit, though.” He kept his back to Will as he finished making the bed.

“That explains why they’re a bit loose. Good thing there’s a drawstring. Oh, hey. You’re changing the bedding.”

“Well, you were making such a fuss about it, I figured this might shut you up.”

“Well aren’t you a sweetheart.”

Nico grabbed some pajamas and slipped past Will. “Be right back.”

The heat of the bathroom was suffocating, even with the fan on, but he stalled on heading back for as long as he could without making it obvious that he was avoiding Will. He brushed his teeth very thoroughly, washed his face, and even cleaned up a bit. But he ran out of things to do too quickly and had to face his own stupid life choices.

Will was already asleep when he returned to his room. No surprise, since he apparently got up around six most mornings.

Nico noted that he took the left side of the bed.

He got in next to him, laying on his side, facing Will, looking at him. It was dark, and he could barely make out the lines of Will’s eyes and lips. He was tempted to reach out and touch them, to trace the curve of his jaw. But that would be too far. This right here, the two of them in the same bed, was a huge trust. Nico didn’t want to betray that just because he was an immature child.

So he tucked his hands into his chest and closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath and trying to sleep, which took almost an hour.


	13. Waking Up

Nico woke up not long before the sun came up, his room just a little bit brighter than when he fell asleep, feeling warm.

He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the darkness and find out what was different.

He went to sit up, but something against him moved, and he remembered with a jilt in his chest that made his heart spasm that Will was in his bed with him. He noticed his breath on his forehead, and the arm Nico was using as a pillow.

He looked around and saw that they were in the middle of the bed, meaning they’d both moved into each other.

Nico took a deep breath, Will’s hand on his waist shifting and curling around him, pulling him closer.

He noticed his own hand on Will’s arm, and their tangled legs.

His heart beat frantically. This was really happening. He was cuddling with Will Solace. He was not a cuddler. He’d never cuddled with Jason, or even Percy. But he did cuddle with Will.

And it was nice.

He closed his eyes, savoring the moment. This was okay, right? He wasn’t taking advantage of Will, right?

It was bright out, every curve and line of Will’s neck, the way it moved as he breathed visible to Nico before he fell back asleep.


	14. The Morning After

Nico woke up alone, feeling cold. He curled up into a ball, holding his knees to his chest, chasing away the emptiness in his chest. Of course Will would leave without saying anything. Nico couldn’t blame him. It must have been weird to wake up holding onto a guy you didn’t like.

He peeled himself out of bed and stalked to the bathroom. He was not looking forward to seeing Will at work and dealing with the awkwardness of any of this.

His door opened and his heart skipped. He rushed to the living room, expecting Jason or Percy. But Will smiled at him, coffee in one hand and a Tim Hortons bag in the other.

“Hey. I was hoping to get back before you woke up.”

“You got coffee?”

“Yeah.” Will’s freckles popped out around his blush. “Waking someone up with breakfast is suppose to be super romantic. I would have made something, but I burn water, so I didn’t want to risk waking you up with the fire alarm instead. Much less romantic.”

Nico let out a long breath, his shoulders relaxing. “That’s fine. You’d probably make like, fifty pancakes, and then we’d have to feed them to some alley dogs.”

“Nice. Solid insult.”

Nico shrugged. His chest felt light, butterflies swarming his stomach. He almost felt like he could fly.

“So what did you bring me?” He peeked in the bag.

“Who said any of this was for you?” Will pulled it away, holding the bag and the coffee over his head.

“Oh, real mature.” Nico stood on his tip-toes and reached for the sustenance, but he was too short and could barely reach past Will’s elbows.

“What are you willing to give me for this, hm?”

“How about not kicking you out?”

“Nah, I think you can do better.”

Nico sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. “Fine. What do you want from me?”

Will made a big show out of pretending to think, but the smile he couldn’t quite suppress gave him away. “How about a kiss?”

Nico’s stomach dropped, his mouth hanging open. He’d misheard him. He had to have. This was all a game to Will. His fantasies were getting away from him.

Will leant back. “Wait, okay. No. That didn’t go the same way it did in my head. I meant, like, a kiss on the cheek.” He groaned, putting the coffee in his hand to his forehead, closing his eyes tight. “Maybe I should leave.”

Nico forced out a chuckle. “I’ll agree to forget it if you give me the caffeine.” He held out his hand.

“Deal.” Will handed it over. “But what about the bagel?”

“Wow. You bounce back quickly.” Nico took a sip of coffee, melting at the taste. “Sei un dono.”

“Did you just speak Italian at your cup?”

“Yep.” He took another sip. “Coffee is beautiful and deserves my live in the most beautiful language in existence.”

“Wow, you are a nerd.”

“Oh shut up.” Nico went to the couch and sat down to enjoy his breakfast.

Will slipped around and sat with him.

This was nice. Nico could get used to this. Falling asleep with Will, joking with him in the mornings, sitting together, quietly enjoying each others company.

He was surprised at how much he wanted it, despite that he’d never considered it before.

He mused about what would happen if he reached out and took Will’s hand. He didn’t, of course. But he could imagine that Will would hold his back. He could imagine that someone else wanted to hold his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having a bit of writers block on what to do next, so it may take a while to get to the next chapter. Sorry for the small hiatus until I get this worked out.


	15. Hazel's Seel of Approval

Nico was in a good mood for a while. Even Hazel from three-thousand-and-five-hundred miles away noticed.

“I was worried for a while.” Her voice warmed Nico, even as the topic filled him with foreboding. “This Percy thing hurt you so bad, I didn’t know if you would ever be open to a new relationship. But I like Will, I think he could be good for you.”

“I wasn’t against a new relationship."

“But you weren’t open to one, either. You didn’t want to get hurt, so you never allowed yourself to get close to anyone.”

“That’s not exactly true.” His mouth felt dry.

“Nico.”

“I have friends. I have Jason, and Reyna, and Hedge. And I have Percy. I have friends.” He couldn’t even convince himself that she was wrong.

“I know. And we love you. But you’re almost twenty-four, and holding onto a broken heart for ten years isn’t healthy.”

He gripped the phone. “I don’t need a relationship to be happy, Hazel.” He hoped she understood that he hadn’t meant to snap.

She sighed. “I know you don’t. And I’d be just as worried if you did.” There was a shuffling on the other end. “But being romantically avoidant is just as bad. You should be single because you want to be, not because you’re emotionally unavailable.”

They’d had this conversation many times. Nico could continue to argue, but Hazel would eventually win. As she should; she was right. And the closer he got to Will, the more he could admit to it. And the more he understood why he was this way.

“Yeah.”

“I have to go. Wedding stuff.” She groaned. “I can’t wait until this is all over and I never had to think about which shade of purple I like better ever again. I don’t care what everyone says, purple is purple.”

Nico chuckled. “I thought all brides loved these useless minute details. Isn’t that what little girls grow up dreaming about?”

“Fuck that. I’d rather just elope, but then Danny would have a cow. She’d probably force me to work on her farm for a year if I wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“You and Frank still planning on starting one?”

“Yeah. We’re about halfway there. Which is why I’m glad Dad’s paying for this mess. It would cost us everything we’ve saved to do this the way Danny and Penny want us to.”

Nico hissed. “Ouch. This wedding’s gonna suck.”

“Don’t remind me. Anyway, I really do have to go. Do you want to talk to Frank?”

“I’m sure your fiance doesn’t want to talk to me anymore than I want to talk to him.”

“No way, Frank loves you.”

“You’re telling me he’s not shaking his head adamantly right now?”

“Well…”

Nico laughed. “I’ll make sure to get super close to my future brother-in-law during his bachelor party while we’re ignoring the strippers he doesn’t want by playing Mytho Magic.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Okay, I’m holding you to that.”

“All right. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Bye.”

“Bye.” He hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. Talking to Hazel always left him with a weird mix of contentment and stress. She had great points and was way too mature for her age, particularly when it came to him. So she often gave him advice he didn’t really want, and he always over-thought what she said after until he was so sick of the entire subject he just threw it out.

But now he really wanted to listen to her. He wanted to believe Jason when he said Will could like him for real. He wanted to believe he could be with someone who liked Nico as much as Nico liked him.

He just couldn’t.


	16. Bro's Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This filler brought to you by "what the fuck am I doing with this story?"

Nico and Will spent enough time together that it started to make Jason and Percy Jealous. They began to whine at him when they came to his work, so Nico told them that they were welcome to join in whenever they wanted, not expecting them to accept. But he’d somehow forgotten that Percy was Percy.

So they had a guys night the day before his family was suppose to come to town and his peaceful life was ripped out by the roots.

Percy insisted they go to a pub style restaurant for dinner where they sold chicken wings, because it’s “bro’s food”.

And that was where the grilling of Will Solace began.

He was asked everything about their “relationship” that Nico refused to tell them. And he answered with relative ease. They’d gone over a few things before the outing, but Will was coming up with all sorts of things without any hesitance at all, and it all sounded reasonable and realistic. Nico could see it.

Jason raised his brow at Nico, who just shrugged and turned back to the show.

“Dogs or cats?”

Jason put a hand on Percy’s shoulder. “That has nothing to do with their relationship. You’re starting to go overboard, man.”

“Back off, bro. I need to make sure this guy is the best person for our little Neeks.”

“You’re little what?”

Percy held his hand up to Nico, blocking him out. “Please, Nico. This is important.” He kept his eyes on Will. “Well?”

Jason gave Nico a shrug like “I tried”.

“You want me to say dog, I can tell. Only dog people get this passionate about this topic.” Will crossed his arms and leant back in his chair. “But I have to say cats.”

Percy pulled back, gasping loudly, a hand over his heart. “I can’t believe it. You’re out.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I like cats, dummy.”

“Yeah, but what about Cerberus?”

Will turned his attention to Nico for the first time since they got to the pub. “Cerberus?”

“My dads dog.” He turned back to Percy. “And I like dogs, too. But they’re more work to take care of. Cats take care of themselves for the most part.”

“You’re cruel bro.”

Nico just shrugged.

“So Will.”

He huffed at how quickly the whole scene was forgotten.

* * *

Will walked Nico home, taking his hand while the others were with them, but then not letting go once they were alone.

But then, Nico didn’t let go either.

“Well that was fun, and not stressful in any way whatsoever.”

Nico put his face in his other hand. “Sorry. He’s not usually that bad. I think he was just in a really good mood.”

“Nah. It really was fun. But does that mean he likes me?”

“I think so. I can’t really tell with Percy. Jason loves you, though.”

“Oh good. That’s one big brother down.”

Nico rolled his eyes, giving him a half smile. He didn’t bother contradicting him. “You’re pretty much a hit with everyone. Big surprise there. Not like you’re practically perfect in every way or anything.”

“Practically perfect? Quite the compliment, especially from you.”

“Shut up, Solace.” Nico nudged him with his shoulder.

Will gave him a nudge back, making Nico bust out laughing.

When he got inside he had a message from Percy.

_ All joking aside, I’m glad to see you so happy. It’s been a while. You deserve it. _

Nico tossed his phone on his bed and hopped in the shower to distract himself from the warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. There would be none of that, not with Will, and not with some fake relationship.


	17. Something to Tell You

Bianca helped Nico get ready for the wedding, despite only being half ready herself. He’d tried to shoo her away, but she’d insisted.

“No one’s even going to look at me, especially with Hazel in that dress.”

He couldn’t argue with that logic.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Uh oh.”

“Don’t make me choke you with this tie.”

He stuck his tongue out at her.

“After the wedding I’m going on an expedition in Greece.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She sat him down and took a comb and some gel to his hair. “It’s supposed to last six months.”

“Six months?” He turned in his chair to face her. “Like, half a year?”

“Yes. There’s only three of us going, and rumours say the catacombs stretch over fifty kilometres.”

“Only three of you?”

“Yes. Me, Zoe, and Annabeth.”

“Annabeth?”

“Yes, you parrot. She’s going to research the architecture for her senior thesis.” Bianca forced him to face the mirror. “If this goes well, I can join the company as a full fledged employee.”

He held his breath, swallowing back his complaints. He wasn’t a child, and it wasn’t fair for him to try to keep her from her life.

“You’ll come back after you’re done, right?”

“Of course.” She finished up with his hair and took out her eyeliner, stepping in front of him to apply it. “Artemis won’t keep me away any longer than that unless there’s some sort of complication.”

He took a deep breath, forcing any fear he had away. “All right.”

She finished up, giving him a smile. “Thanks, Nico.” She stepped aside. “What do you think?”

He stared at himself in the mirror, his nose wrinkling. “I look like Loki.”

Bianca snickered. “Maybe if you’d cut your hair.” She flipped a lock at his neck.

“Not a chance.”

“Honestly, Nico. I think you keep it this long just to bug me.”

“Does it work?”

She made a offended noise. “Brat.”

He grinned at her reflection. “All right. You really do need to go before the mothers start freaking out.”

Bianca made a face. “Yeah, all right.” She gave Nico a kiss on the cheek, leaving a big red mark. As she left, she cackled, the sound drawing Frank fro the other room.

Nico looked at himself in the mirror, examining the perfectly formed mark. He smiled, deciding to leave it there. Everyone would be horrified, but Hazel would love it.


	18. Ceremony

Nico ran up to Hazel before the door to the chapel opened, pulling her into a hug.

She held him back, shaking.

“You look beautiful.” He stepped back, running his hands up and down her arms. “You ready?”

“Will I ever be ready?”

“Second thoughts?”

She shook her head, blushing. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” She cleared her throat, fixing her posture. “Being married doesn’t scare me. It’s getting married that does.”

Nico laughed. “With this family, that makes sense.” He pulled her to a chair along the wall. “Talk to me.”

She sighed. “I just feel like this isn’t our wedding, you know? Like, it’s for everyone except us.”

Nico nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“The flowers, the colours, the venue, the music. They were all chosen by someone else. I didn’t even get to pick out my own hair and makeup.”

“Well that’s an easy fix.” Nico reached over and pulled out all the pins, running his fingers through her curls.

“Nico! What are you doing? Danny will have a fit.”

“Bonus.”

She laughed, trying to keep her face serious. “I’m blaming this on you, you know.”

“Works for me. She was going to find something to rag on me about, anyway. That just makes it easier for her. It’ll probably make her day.”

Hazel snorted. “You’re awful.”

“That’s why you love me. There.” He pulled her to the far end of the room to look into the mirror. “What do you think?”

She touched the curls that fell over her shoulders, smiling lightly at her reflection. “Well, Frank does prefer my hair down.” She blushed, looking down. “He likes to twirl it around his fingers while we talk.”

“Aw.” Nico smiled at her. “That’s disgusting.”

She scoffed and pushed him. “Thanks, Nico.”

“Of course.” He kissed her cheek. “Now what?”

She stared at her reflection for a long while. Then she puffed out her chest and took off her shoes.

“All right, everyone.” Nico leant on a wall for balance as he worked his laces. “Shoes off.”

There was a moment of confused chatter before everyone did as they were instructed.

“I like that kiss on your cheek. Have all the women kiss everyone’s cheeks. And bring Piper over here.”

It took a few minutes, but everyone had a kiss mark, and all the women had to reapply their lipstick.

Piper was applying a deep kill-a-man red to Hazel when Nico came back.

“I wanted this colour, but Danny said the only colour appropriate for a bride was pink.”

“Well this looks better, anyway.” Piper fixed a bit around the corner of her mouth and capped the stick. “Anything else.”

Hazel removed her jewelry, except for the small necklace, and handed it to Piper. “Give a piece to everyone.”

Nico nabbed a bracelet before she walked off. “There. Now it’s your wedding.”

Hazel took a deep breath, looking around at everyone, no one questioning her sudden, last minute changes. “Thanks.”

He kissed her cheek again. “Of course. It’s my baby sister’s wedding, and I like Frank enough.”

She rolled her eyes. “Glad to know you approve of my husband.”

“Anything for you, my dear, sweet sister.”

Their father came over to them, taking a cool look around the room, then turning back to Hazel. A small smile crept onto his face. “Are you ready, my dear?”

She took a deep breath and nodded. “I think so.”

He held his arm out to her with a bow, leading her to the back of the line that had already formed.

Nico stood by Piper, offering her his arm, as well.

The door opened and everyone stood up straight.

Nico looked around at everyone’s reactions. He almost laughed at Danny’s horrified expression, when Piper elbowed him, and he turned it into a cough.

He found Will in the third row on the bride’s side. His smile was pulled farther on one side and his eyebrows raised, somewhere between amused and surprised.

Nico winked at him as they passed.

He looked up at Frank, feeling a protective urge. Nico trusted Hazel to make her own decisions when it came to her relationship, but if Frank wasn’t appropriately stunned by her, he would object.

He was crying, his face splotchy and his chin wrinkled.

Nico had to cover his mouth to stop from laughing. He looked at Piper as she elbowed him gain, her own face tight as she held her breath.

As he stepped beside Frank on the stage, he pulled him down to whisper in his ear. “Take off your shoes.”

Frank looked at everyone in the wedding party, then put his hand on Nico’s shoulder for balance. When he finished, he looked around for somewhere to put them.

Nico took them and threw them unceremoniously at the wall, making a few people laugh.

Their father kissed the back of Hazel’s hands when they reached the stage and took his seat.

Frank proceeded to sob through the entire ceremony, having difficulty with his vows because of it. Even Hazel cried a little during hers.

Nico looked around and saw that Percy, Jason, and Annabeth were crying a little, and Reyna had even teared up a little.

It was otherwise a perfectly normal ceremony. No one dropped the rings, no one tripped, no one objected. It was almost disappointing.

But Hazel looked so blissfully happy as she kissed Frank that Nico just smiled and clapped with everyone else as she and Frank kissed.

Eight out of ten.


End file.
